Who the Helen of Troy is This?

Currently, The now closed Latham Hotel and its adjoining restaurant, Michel Richard’s Citronelle, are liquidating all of their assets (they will be doing so for the next 3 weeks).
The location is in Georgetown and I think people will find the sale interesting. As they unload a hotel’s worth of items, some curious things are going up for sale. Amongst the silverware, artwork, furniture, and statuary there was this:

A 300 pound bronze-cast plaque.

It is being sold-off…One of the ladies suggested purchasing it for its scrap value…Still no one knows who the image depicts.
Aside from what is seen here, there are no maker’s marks at all on the front or the back. Can anyone identify this person?”

Ed. Note: Obviously, free PoPville t-shirt for the first one to get the identity right.

It was just a guess (prob not him). In the picture, he is the guy on the left (kinda looks similar?). He is the founder of the Embassy Series, which is a music series that takes place in the embassies, so it made sense on some level :-).

It’s Paul Whetsell who is the former Chairman and CEO of the hotel company that previously owned the Latham. The bronze plaque used to hang at another one of their properties at Embassy Row. Inside joke.

This is one of a pair of medallions which “mysteriously” appeared on the facade of the Embassy Row Hotel on or about 1999/ 2000. None of those involved in its appearance and erection ever admitted to how it got there! However once the person in question became aware of it (story has it that his young son saw it and recognized his Dad, as the family drove-by on Mass Ave one day), it was quickly removed.
It was subsequently the prize “medal” at the inter-company golf match between MeriStar Hospitality and Interstate Hotels and Resorts

The Embassy Row Hotel was the original hotel for that company and the medallions hung on that hotel. Given all the important people memorialized in metal and stone in that area, it was only appropriate that the most studmuffin CEO of DC be similarly recognized.

Oh it’s Paul Whetsell (PW), the current CEO of Loews Hotels in NYC. Early in his career he was the General Manager of the Embassy Row Hotel, currently the Hilton Embassy Row. It went on to lead CapStar Hotels, which merged with American General Hotels and became MeriStar Hotels, and then split off to become MeriStar Hospitality which was mainly sold to Blackstone. PW was chairman of MeriStar Hotels and Resorts when it merged with Interstate Hotels before finally leaving and ending up with Loews Hotels in NYC.

The plaque was installed on the Embassy Row hotel, but alas, PW did not like it up there and had it removed. It wound up being stored in the Latham, which the company also owned at the time. I would love to purchase if I ever had the chance.

I was talking to someone about this and they indicated Greg Kavanagh and Bill Croke were involved in the medallions as they oversaw the hotel. It also occurred to me that the DC historical society may want to preserve the medallion. Perhaps the current ownership would get a significant tax write off if they were to donate the medallion to the city?

I went to check and the medallion is sold and removed from the building? It sold for the full price of $1200 plus a buyers premium. Does anyone know where it is? Who is Bruce Wiles, his name was floated by the staff.